


Of Tears and Pastry

by FireandRosemary



Series: Life With The Old Guard [5]
Category: The Old Guard (Movie 2020)
Genre: Baking, Bonding, Comfort, Cooking Lessons, Family, Found Family, Gen, Nile Freeman & Nicky | Nicolò di Genova Friendship, Nile Freeman Needs a Hug, Soft Nicky | Nicolò di Genova, cooking as therapy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-06
Updated: 2021-01-06
Packaged: 2021-03-17 09:14:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 900
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28597533
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FireandRosemary/pseuds/FireandRosemary
Summary: Excerpt:Today, Nile is feeling restless, she doesn’t feel like walking on the beach, or like watching TV. She tried to read one of the language books they bought, but she can’t concentrate. She sits on the front steps of the house, elbows on knees and sighs. She can see Andy swimming again, Joe has gone to the market, but she didn’t fancy joining either of them. Today the sun is too bright, the sea breeze is annoying.
Series: Life With The Old Guard [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2088633
Comments: 4
Kudos: 85





	Of Tears and Pastry

Nile wanders through the house. She knows they’re in Cornwall, but not much more than that, it was the safe house that Andy decided they should lie low at for a while until it’s safe to leave the country. Still, the house is far nicer than Nile was expecting. She had thought they would be heading to another abandoned church or something similar. Instead, they had pulled up to a stone cottage on the coast.

It had been dark, with a definite air of being unlived in, but it was clean. Joe had murmured something about thank goodness for caretakers as he unlocked the door.

However within a few days, the cottage is aired out and bright once more, the windows thrown open to admit air that tastes of the sea. Nile learns that this house currently belongs to Nicky, in a few years he will sell it to Joe, a name change on the deeds will prevent any suspicion.

Nicky spends a great deal of time in the kitchen, he’s introduced Nile to several new dishes, taking great advantage of the local seafood markets. Andy has been swimming in the sea, gracefully slipping through the waves without any apparent effort, and still having the energy to give Nile a good kicking when they train in the garden. Joe has been sketching, when he’s not in the kitchen stealing food as Nicky is trying to cook it, Nile has seen more than one new sketch on the table, most of them of Nicky.

Today, Nile is feeling restless, she doesn’t feel like walking on the beach, or like watching TV. She tried to read one of the language books they bought, but she can’t concentrate. She sits on the front steps of the house, elbows on knees and sighs. She can see Andy swimming again, Joe has gone to the market, but she didn’t fancy joining either of them. Today the sun is too bright, the sea breeze is annoying.

Sighing again, Nile stands and heads back into the house.

She wanders somewhat aimlessly, stopping short when she sees Nicky in the kitchen. He turns when he hears her, sea-glass eyes flicking over her face. He must see something in her expression, because he frowns ever so slightly.

“Nile, are you alright?”

Nile isn’t sure if it’s the question, the kind way he asks it, or the concern on his face, but a floodgate opens within her. Before she knows it, she has burst into sobs. Hot tears spill down her cheeks and her shoulders shake as the events of the past week catch up with her. She doesn’t hear Nicky approach, but a second later he wraps his arms around her, pulling her against his chest. He doesn’t ask what’s wrong or try to shush her, instead, he runs one hand softly over her hair as she sobs against him.

Nile is not sure how long they stand there, but eventually, her shaking breaths settle and her tears cease. She pulls away, Nicky lets her go without question, watching quietly as she scrubs her hand over her face.

“I’m sorry, I…” Nile huffs out her breath, trying to shake off her embarrassment.

“Do you want to tell me?” Nicky’s voice is soft, and Nile knows she has no reason to be embarrassed.

“I just…I miss my mom and my brother,” she hiccoughs slightly, feeling tears threaten again.

Nicky nods, and Nile knows she doesn’t need to say anymore if she doesn’t want to; he understands some of what she’s going through.

“I guess you’re gonna tell me it gets better with time?” her words come out harsher than she intends, but Nicky doesn’t even blink.

“Well I wasn’t, but as you mentioned it, the pain won’t go away, but it will ease in time.”

Nile huffs, she knows he’s probably right, but it doesn’t feel like it right now, she doesn’t feel like talking much more about it either. Nicky sighs softly, hands resting briefly on his hips, he looks like he’s thinking.

“Come on,” Nicky places an arm around her shoulders.

Nile doesn’t object as he guides her to the kitchen. He washes his hands and she follows suit, not in the mood to argue. When her hands are clean, Nicky guides her to the worktop where he has a bowl with flour and chunks of butter in it. He shows her how to rub the butter and flour between her fingertips, then leaves her to it. Nile concentrates on her task as Nicky stands quietly beside her, chopping ingredients into fine pieces, as accurate with a cooking knife as he is with a sniper rifle. The task he’s given her is an easy one, but it gives Nile something to concentrate on, and after a while, she starts to feel better.

By the time Joe and Andy come back to the house, the pastry is resting in the fridge and Nile is chopping herbs according to Nicky’s strict instructions, for someone who seems so quiet and calm, he’s a tyrant in the kitchen. The food is delicious, and Nicky directs much of the praise in Nile’s direction, while Joe teases gently about her being his new cooking protégé. The evening is filled with conversation and laughter, and Nile knows that while she may not be alright just yet, her new family will see her through it.


End file.
